


Tumblr Prompted One-Shots

by gigi2690



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-14
Updated: 2015-01-14
Packaged: 2018-03-07 13:11:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3174592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gigi2690/pseuds/gigi2690
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Soulmate AUs, Knife games, and more...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Soulmate AU

**Author's Note:**

> Please do not copy or duplicate on other sites or mediums without my consent.

_"No."_ Shaw turned back to her weapon, cleaning it with professional and almost affectionate care. She clearly saw the conversation as over. Root sat on the edge of the table; she always enjoyed watching Shaw work and when she leaned over she could watch the ridges of goosebumps form along her neck. Plus, from this angle it gave Finch her deaf ear. 

Finch wrung his hands awkwardly together, his drive to make his point overshadowing his utter lack of desire to converse with either of them unless necessary.  _"I don’t like it much either, believe me, but the Machine made it clear-"_

 _"The Machine gives names. The machine gives us tasks. It does not spout fairytale bullshit about soul mates."_  Root was fairly certain there wasn’t a speck of dirt or residue left on Shaw’s gun, but the woman did prefer to keep her hands busy. Especially when Root was around. She wasn’t entirely sure what to make of that yet, but it amused her greatly.

_"Shaw, the Machine has done a lot more than just that lately, it might not have used the term itself, but its point was undeniable. For whatever reason you and Root-"_

_"I’m going on patrol."_  Shaw rolled up one pant leg to tuck her newly cleaned weapon into her ankle holster. 

“ _Oo. Sounds like fun. Care for some company?”_  Root may have batted her lashes a little; the line of Shaw’s throat tightened, her fists clenching and loosening all within a heartbeat.

_"Fine."_

_"You can’t ignore this forever!"_  Finch’s voice was as grating as ever.

_"Watch me."_

From the almost vulnerable undercurrent in Shaw’s response, Root wondered if perhaps she should have been paying attention earlier. She waited until they were on the street.  _"What was that about?"_

_"No."_


	2. Fake Relationship AU

_**“** Don’t Flinch.”_ Shaw started slowly at first: the beginning of a summer rain, single drops gaining momentum until they all bled together. Her frenzied movements spun two queens from a discarded deck, colliding with muffled chime against a half emptied bottle of rum. Shaw’s face was the personification of concentration, and it was probably unwise to distract her but-

 _"Is it as horrible as you imagined?"_ It was the barest falter, but Root felt the cold steel for a moment before Shaw regained her sure movements. She could see the tightening lines of muscle along her neck, and while Shaw wore frustration like a fledgling hacker does their first learned attack strategy, Root could recognize the hesitation in the narrowing of her eyes and the sudden slowness of her breath. She waited.

 _"It’s not,"_  a close call,  _"you. I just don’t like all the,"_  another caress of steel against flesh, _"waiting."_ Root guessed that Shaw could play their game with her eyes closed, so this avoidance of her gaze stemmed from something else entirely.

“ _Well, tomorrow we can go shopping for more booze and then maybe you can teach me some of those_ _Muay Thai moves of yours.”_  She smirked as Shaw finally raised her eyes to give her  _ **that look** ,_ 

_"I don’t know if I should be helping you become more lethal."_

Root flexed her fingers, smirking as Shaw made a last moment adjustment to avoid penetration, _"I happen to know you like me this way,"_  her smirk fell as sincerity laced her tone,  _"It won’t always be like this. The waiting is temporary. This fake life, is temporary."_

The thudding ceased. Shaw pushed her seat back from the cheap, rental dining room table and rose to her feet. Fingers teased the underside of her black tank top before pulling it over her head, already undoing the knot on her sweats as Root struggled to take in the sight of Shaw in a dark nike sports bra,

 _"You know what else is temporary? This fake lesbian couple’s sweet pool and hot tub,"_  She was stepping out of the sweats even as they were falling to her ankles,  _"Might as well take advantage."_ Shaw made for the sliding back door, Root quick on her heels. The knife stayed erect and imbedded in the table.


	3. "Literally Bumping into Each Other" AU

Her vision was a blur of brown and only years of discipline honed reflexes had her catching both herself and the body/projectile from a rather unfortunate fall in the middle of 4th Avenue. 

_"I’m so sorry,"_  She was met with a smile that was trying to come off as shy and unassuming but was something else entirely. Whatever it was, it was sincere so Shaw waved off the apology, ready to continue her path home-

_"You’re the martial arts instructor at the gym down on 12th. Systema right?"_  There were more words. Shaw was an expert at blocking out people’s prattling, but she had to note that the woman’s tone made for a pleasant hum. Almost soothing, like one of those white noise generators people use to relax or go to sleep. Not her, but, people. She noticed the babbling had ceased. 

_"What?"_ The woman was looking at her, and Shaw knew the distinction between being evaluated and checked out; this was the latter. Shaw returned the favour. The woman was dressed in black: dress pants, a top whose buttons were undone just enough to dance the line between professional and pleasure, and boots. Nice boots.

“ _Hey, I know this_  steak _joint that serves a filet better than sex.”_ Shaw’s brow rose in reluctant interest, _“We can talk,”_ Shaw’s lips thinned, which inexplicably drew a smirk from the other woman, _“Or I can talk and you can eat and grumble occasionally.”_ Her smile was meant to charm. To Shaw’s frustration, it was working.

_"I don’t even know your name."_

_"Root."_

_"Weird,"_  she shrugged. She was hungry.  _"Sounds tolerable. Where we going?"_

Root started walking to the intersection,  _"You’ll see when we get there…"_

_"Shaw."_  She sighed, figuring she could take the skinny chick if she turned out to be a psycho she followed. 

_"And you teased me about my name."_  She kept talking. Shaw blocked it out, but the hum of it soothed her easier than even her best workout in the past week. She found herself looking forward to that steak.


	4. "Exes Meeting Again after not Speaking for Years" AU

Root didn’t fight back as she was slammed into and forced to the cement. She knew that scent, that particular weight against her own. Thighs bracketed her waist and a gun was pressed against her cheek. It was dark but she could still see the moment recognition flickered behind those dark eyes,   _"You know, given by what I remember of our time together in university, I can’t say I’m surprised by your chosen career."_

The gun against her cheek didn’t move as Shaw leaned down over her, holding her shoulder against the ground with her free hand, “ _You always gave as good as you got, and I usually ended up on top,”_  Shaw’s smirk was just as cocky and enticing as ever,  _"Not much has changed."_  

Root laughed, turning her head slightly to press a kiss to the cold muzzle of the gun,  _"Oh Shaw you still don’t get it,"_  her voice turned to a husk and Shaw jerked slightly as she felt a 9 mil pushed against her femoral artery,  _"Just because you’re on top doesn’t mean you’re in charge."_

There was a lengthy pause where they just stared at one another, taking in the changes time had wrought upon them, neither moving to dislodge the guns placed in rather lethal locations on their body,  _"What are you doing here Root?"_

Root pouted, a mischievous and slightly mad twinkle in her eyes that had only grown since their college days,  _"Done with small talk already? I’m hurt. It has been 10 years."_  Shaw grunted quietly as the butt of Root’s gun ground itself against her crotch of her pants.  

"Root," A warning punctuated by the gun sliding down and under her chin. 

_"Retrieve the hard drive, remove all competition and obstacles. Receive payment via Cayman Islands transfer once target is delivered."_  Root repeated her task verbatim with an almost bored tone. She noted another flicker of recognition in Shaw’s eyes,  _"I take it you got the same offer. Let me guess, from a rich business mogul who is clearly compensating with something; I mean what kind of codename is ‘The Master’?"_

Shaw growled, the grip loosed on her gun even though she didn’t move it entirely,  _"A set up. We were meant to take each other out."_

Using Shaw’s frustration to her advantage, she pushed the hands on her away and pounced. She didn’t bother pinning Shaw down but did enjoy the ‘ _Do I want kiss you or punch you’_  look on her face. Perhaps later,  _"Turn around is fair play. How does a little payback sound?"_

_"Like my kind of party."_


	5. "One of Them Being Diagnosed with a Terminal Illness" AU

_"Shoot me."_

Shaw’s gun stayed drawn because Root wouldn’t lower hers, and -god damn it-weren’t they beyond this by now?  _"Explain. Now."_ Root sighed, had the gall to look peeved that Shaw demanded an explanation from the woman sneaking into her bedroom in the middle of the night and asking Shaw to shoot her.

Admittedly, there was a time when Shaw wouldn’t have needed a reason; and admittedly, she would have shot if she hadn’t recognized Root’s shadow in the doorway. But her time working with Reese and Finch had softened her, she’d owned up to that some time ago. And Root had become a not entirely unpleasant addition to their hopeless little scooby gang.

 _"I don’t want to play story-time Shaw. The machine gave me a mission; things didn’t go as planned,”_ As Shaw’s eyes adjusted to the light, she realized that Root wasn’t leaning against the doorway, she was slumped against it, _“I’m in the_ _walking ghost phase. I know what comes next and I’d rather just skip to the end.”_

Shaw blinked, wondering for a moment if she was still asleep. She didn’t pinch herself though, she knew better than most that dreams could inflict pain _, “How much radiation?”_

 _"40 sieverts."_ And just like that the conversation was over. There was no coming back from that much exposure and they both knew it.

 _"Why me?"_  Root had plenty of resources with the machine: the machine that Shaw couldn’t help but hate a little for leading Root blindly into such danger time and time again. She knew something like this had to happen eventually and yet,

 _"Of course it has to be you Sameen. I could accept no less."_  Root managed to smirk at her even as her head lolled slightly against the doorframe,   _"I could make you do it in self defense,"_  the shoulder of the arm not holding the gun jostled sluggishly in what might have been a shrug,  _"but I’d rather not."_  Shaw’s throat bobbed in a failed attempt to swallow this-all of it- down. Her gun had never felt heavier. “ _Oh and Sameen? Go for the heart, much more poetic.”_

Shaw could have laughed; she could have cried. In the end she did neither, but as her bullet left the barrel, she couldn’t help but close her eyes.


End file.
